Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1, Episode 9: Danger Zone
by Mutrox
Summary: The battle between Jadeite, Sailor Scouts, and their friends comes to a head as Jadeite challenges the team to a seven-on-one fight on the main runway at Haneda Airport. Eager to end the war, the Scouts accept his challenge. But little do they know that Jadeite has learned from his past mistakes, and has devised a way to finish the fight once and for all.
1. A New Strategy

Tuneless humming echoed in from the outside passage, causing Jadeite to grind his teeth in frustration. Tridymite may have been an excellent healer, but his bad music skills were strong enough to be weaponized. In fact, on more than one occasion, Jadeite had found himself seriously wondering if agonizing humming was secretly a power of Tridymite's.

"And how are you feeling today?" Tridymite asked cheerfully, striding into the infirmary.

"My body is healed, if that's what you're asking," Jadeite growled sourly.

"Then you won't mind if I confirm that statement," Tridymite replied. "Lie down." Jadeite did as he was told and lay down on the examination table. Tridymite waved a hand over Jadeite's body. Holograms appeared over Jadeite, each image depicting a different system in his body. "Well, it looks like your last treatment is holding nicely," Tridymite commented as he checked everything. "Your energy manipulation mechanisms aren't showing any signs of rejection."

"Good." Jadeite suffered in silence for a few minutes while Tridymite inflicted some more tuneless humming on him as he worked. Desperate to shut him up, Jadeite searched his mind for something to get him to talk about. "How is your work on the Continuum going?"

"If only Metaria was still alive," Tridymite sighed. "The Continuum screams more every day, and the scraps of energy you bring it aren't enough to charge the firing mechanism. If we don't do something soon, the Continuum will die."

Jadeite shuddered. If Queen Beryl lost the Negaverse's most powerful weapon, there was no telling what she would do to her subordinates. "It would be easier if we could harvest energy from any point in M-Space," he commented.

"Find a way to reproduce the unique conditions of the Anomaly, and you'll be all set. Until then, it looks like you'll have to deal with the Sailor Scouts and the Mistake."

"Unless I find a way to deal with them," Jadeite said quietly, mulling it over in his head. "But they've beaten my drones and my servant already."

"Isn't the human city in the Anomaly filled with technology? Your technokinesis isn't just for toys, you know."

"I know. But the tech I've used so far hasn't been enough. I need someplace with more of it."

"You might also consider somewhere with a wide-open area," Tridymite said, examining the hologram of Jadeite's central nervous system.

"What makes you say that?"

"It gets lonely down here in the infirmary sometimes. Now and again I read the after-action reports of your little adventures in M-Space."

"And?"

"I've noticed that the Mistake seems to enjoy maneuvering around the environment with his grapple gauntlets, a technique that Sailor Venus seems to enjoy as well. Tuxedo Mask often leaps from structure to structure as he fights, and Sailor Jupiter sometimes uses her lightning to throw metal objects at your drones."

"So I need someplace that's filled with usable tech, but flat enough that the enemy can't maneuver around me." Jadeite cast his mind around for the ideal battleground. Suddenly it came to him. A chilling smile spread across his lips. "I know just the place." He shoved off from the table and stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Before you go," Tridymite called after him. "Have you seen my vial of Spectrox? It's been missing for awhile, now?"

"Do I look like I keep track of your things?" Jadeite snapped. Tridymite held up his hands and turned away. "Because I do," Jadeite whispered to himself as he strode away down the corridor. He reached down and patted his pocket. The vial of Spectrox tinkled slightly as it rubbed against some loose change.


	2. Welcome Distractions

The golden sun beamed down from the cloudless mid-afternoon sky. Energy filled the air as the citizens of Tokyo went about their business. Sounds of engines and machinery filled the air, but the noise only seemed to invigorate the city in a curiously healthy way. Amid the activity, two girls and a boy walked down one of the sidewalks, one of their weekend shopping trips underway.

"Hey, have you guys seen the new _Neon Vengeance_ movie yet?" Serena asked Molly as she bit into her ice cream cone.

"I heard it got trashed 'cause Aaron Ranir got replaced as Strobe Streak," Molly commented. "You can't just go and replace a big-name actor in a big role and think no one will mind."

"Sure you can," Melvin chimed in, almost tripping over one of his own shoelaces. "Jared Last is a way better Strobe Streak than Ranir ever was."

"Ranir was more handsome," Molly said, a little dreamily, adjusting her grip on her bag.

"Last has more talent in one finger than Ranir has in his whole body. He captures the character of Strobe Streak in a way that Ranir can only dream about."

"Yeah, but Ranir's got bigger muscles."

"That's the problem!" Melvin replied defensively. He tucked one of his boxes under his arm and continued. "The only reason Ranir got as far as he did was because he spent half of every other movie shirtless!"

"And that's a problem why?"

Serena listened to her friends' debate about the quality of different actors in the movie as she quietly ate her ice cream. It was unreal. Standing in this place, talking about such mundane things, made her secret life seem like nothing more than a bad dream. With no aliens, no superpowers, and no gadgets, it was all too easy to slip back into normality. Even the brooch on her chest seemed like nothing more than a harmless article of clothing.

As Serena mused quietly about the nature of her life, she suddenly spotted a familiar pair of brilliant silver streaks. "Hey, Jason!"

Jason Shepard was walking out of a clothing store. He was dressed in his usual outfit: A black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. In one hand he held a shopping bag. In the other he held his phone, which he immediately shoved into his pocket when Serena called his name. "Hello, Serena," he said as Serena jogged up to him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Serena asked as Molly and Melvin caught up.

"Hey, Serena, who is this guy?" Melvin interrupted, gasping for breath.

"Oh, uh, guys, this is Jason. Jason, this is Molly and Melvin."

"A pleasure," Jason said, bowing politely.

Molly stared at him as color flooded her cheeks. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Molly!" Serena scolded.

"Not at the moment," Jason replied. Something flickered behind his eyes for the briefest of instants, but Serena didn't have time to ask him about it.

Melvin peered at him suspiciously. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh… uh… well…"

"I'm a friend of the family," Jason replied smoothly.

"So, uh, what are you buying?" Serena asked Jason, desperate to change the subject.

"Just some clothes," Jason replied, holding up the bag for Serena to see.

"You're clothes-shopping? Wait… you'd better not be-" Serena reached forward and looked in the bag. Inside she found two pairs of jeans and three black t-shirts, identical to the ones Jason was currently wearing. "You can't be serious."

"What's wrong?" Jason's expression didn't change, but his voice changed slightly, as if he didn't appreciate Serena's criticism.

"What's wrong is that you've been wearing the exact same outfit every day since I met you," Serena informed him irritably, gesturing to Jason's clothes.

"So?"

" _So_ , you can't do that."

"Wearing the same outfit means one less decision to make every day," Jason told her evenly.

"No. As your friend, I'm not letting you do this." Serena grabbed Jason's hand and started pulling him back into the store. "Come on, guys. We're getting Jason a new look." Jason considered forcing Serena to let him go and leave it alone, but decided it would create more problems than it would solve.

For the next hour, Serena, Molly, and Melvin dragged Jason from store to store, trying different clothes and piecing together different outfits. More than once, Jason found himself weighing the benefits of using his parkour to escape versus the benefits of indulging Serena. Every time, he concluded that leaving would do Serena more harm than good. Not only would it hurt her feelings, but it would damage the trust she had placed in him, something he felt would not be advantageous in their ongoing war against the Negaverse. Besides, Serena seemed to genuinely want to help him in her own way, and she wasn't hurting anything. And it wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

"How about this cool hat?" Melvin suggested, holding up a neon-green baseball cap.

"Are you crazy?" Molly said, pulling the hat out of his hand. "That's just gonna cover up those hot silver streaks in his hair."

"Hmph," Melvin grumbled, taking the hat back and returning it to the shelf. "I bet those things aren't even real."

Soon, Serena and her friends had put together a new outfit for Jason: a dark blue t-shirt, dark grey jeans, a black belt, a metallic digital watch, and a pair of converse. The three stood back to admire their work.

"Something's missing…" Serena mused, looking him over intently.

"How about some sunglasses?" Melvin suggested.

"No, thanks," Jason said. "I have enough accessories as it is."

"Hey! How about this cool jacket?" Molly held up a black jacket for her friends to see. The jacket was a dark, all-purpose article of outdoor clothing. It wasn't leather, but it had spacious pockets and no reflective surfaces. At Molly's insistence, Jason pulled it on.

"Oh, yeah. That's what I'm talking about." Serena gave him a thumbs-up. Molly followed her lead, and, begrudgingly, so did Melvin.

Knowing Serena couldn't possibly afford everything she wanted him, to wear, Jason paid for the clothes, already calculating how many criminals he would have to rob to make up the difference. As he turned to leave, he glimpsed himself in one of the store's mirrors. As a man who cared more for performance than aesthetics, Jason didn't particularly care what he wore as long as it didn't interfere with his movement. But looking at what Serena and her friends had selected for him, he decided the outfit was acceptable, and would not hinder him in any way.

"Hey, Jason! You coming?" Serena called as she and her friends headed out the door. "Come on! We're gonna go get lunch!"

Jason briefly reviewed his tasks for the day in his head. He had already worked out, run maintenance on his equipment, performed his mental exercises, and scanned for Negaverse activity. With no valid reason to refuse, Jason picked up his purchases and strode out the door after Serena.


	3. The Challenge

"All I'm saying is, Chevron could totally beat Multiverse Man if he had enough prep time," Melvin declared, pausing to drink his milkshake.

"What? No way," Serena disagreed. "It doesn't matter how long Chevron has to get ready: he can't get past Multiverse Man's Nexus Array." Melvin started to tell her why he disagreed. To his left, Molly shifted slightly in the booth and continued to eat her ice cream. Across from her, Jason merely sipped his coffee and listened in silence.

Serena's friends seemed to enjoy discussing and watching movies about these mythical figures that humans called "superheroes". Not for the first time, Jason wondered to himself just how they would react if they knew that two people with superpowers were sitting across from them. Would they respond with wonder and amazement? Would they feel betrayed that Serena hadn't shared her secret? Humans seemed to like such things as long as they stayed on the other side of a screen, so just how would they react if they actually knew their wishes had been granted, and that beings with abilities beyond their comprehension walked among them?

"So Jason, what kind of movies do you like?" Molly asked him.

The closest thing Jason had ever seen to an actual movie was a collection of war footage many years ago, and he had only watched it in order to learn a new fighting technique. Not wanting to lie, but not wanting to disclose the entire truth either, Jason simply said "War movies."

"Oh, really? I had you pegged for an action-adventure kind of guy."

Another man would have laughed at the truth of the statement. But men like Jason didn't laugh. Instead, he quietly swallowed another mouthful of coffee and said "Sorry to disappoint."

"This guy doesn't know how to have fun," Serena said playfully, lightly punching Jason in the arm. "I can't even get him to-" Serena cut herself off in mid-sentence as the message started playing.

###

Cold water splashed over Raye's body as she twisted the shower handle. Gradually, she changed the water from freezing to near-boiling, sighing in relief as she did so. Picking up a bar of soap, she began to scrub herself and did her best to ignore the transformation noises coming from the next room.

The noises hadn't subsided by the time Raye shut off the water and dried herself with a towel. _How long can that girl keep that up?_ She wondered in irritation. Quickly, she pulled on her uniform and walked out into the rest of the base.

Sailor Jupiter stood in the center of the room, transforming rhythmically. Artemis sat on top of a nearby table, watching her. As Raye approached, Lita turned to face her friends.

"Hey, Raye, does this sound like anything?" Lita transformed back into her Combat Mode.

"Uh, yeah, it sounds like a transformation."

Lita let out an irritated noise. "It's supposed to sound like a transforming Autobot." She reverted to Ground State. A brilliant crescent symbol shined on her forehead.

"Do you really have to put so much effort into something so unnecessary?" Artemis asked Lita.

"I just thought it would be neat," Lita shrugged.

"Well, all you've managed to do so far is light up that thing on your forehead," Raye told her as she took a seat.

Lita glanced in a reflective surface, touching the glowing patch of skin. The flesh felt hot beneath her fingers. "That's weird. I hope this wears off soon. What _is_ this thing, anyway?"

"It's the universal symbol of a Sailor Scout," Artemis explained. "Every Sailor Scout has one."

"All of us?"

"Yeah, but usually it's only visible when the Scout is under extreme stress. You must really care about changing your transformation noise."

Lita was about to explain why exactly she thought it would be better to sound like a transforming Autobot when the message began.

###

Amy broke the surface of the pool and sucked in a breath of warm, chlorine-tasting air. After her breathing returned to normal, she pulled herself under and pushed off from the pool wall.

 _Gallium, Germanium, Arsenic, Selenium,_ she recited silently to herself. The periodic table had never lost its inexplicable ability to relax her. Even as she passed rubidium, she could feel the tension leaving her muscles and her heartbeat slowing.

It lasted until she heard the first word of the message.

###

Mina turned the CD over in her hand, carefully examining the track list on the back with an expert eye. The Excellent had lived up to their name again, with another chart-topping album. Mentally, Mina counted how much money she still had in her purse, decided it was enough, and headed for the checkout isle.

Most people preferred buying music through downloads. But Mina wasn't most people. There was something oddly appealing about owning a physical copy of her favorite music. Mina took her change from the cashier, headed out the door, and was busy looking around for something to eat when the message began.

"ATTENTION, SAILOR SCOUTS." Jadeite's voice boomed out of every piece of technology in Tokyo. "THIS WAR BETWEEN OUR FORCES HAS LASTED LONG ENOUGH. IF ONE OF US IS EVER GOING TO WIN, ONE SIDE HAS TO DESTROY THE OTHER. IT IS TIME FOR THE FINAL BATTLE.

"MEET ME AT HANEDA AIRPORT ON THE MAIN RUNWAY AT 10 O' CLOCK TONIGHT. BRING LIGHTSTORM AND TUXEDO MASK WITH YOU. ALL OF YOU WILL FACE ME AND ONLY ME. THERE WILL BE NO DRONES, NO OBSTACLES, AND NO ZOISITE TO GET IN THE WAY AS WE FIGHT TO THE DEATH.

"IF YOU REFUSE, I WILL TRAVEL TO A RANDOM POINT ON THE PLANET EARTH AND USE MY POWERS TO KILL EVERY HUMAN I FIND. I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL YOU ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE AND FACE ME. DO THE SMART THING." Jadeite's voice died away.


	4. A Time to Fight

"Give me a sitrep," Jason ordered, striding into the base's computer room. Serena scrambled in after him, almost tripping over her own feet.

Lita and Raye stood on either side of Artemis, who was sitting in the chair and operating the gigantic machine. "Panic has spread through some isolated areas of the city," Artemis reported. "A few riots have erupted in Akishima, Shinjuku, and Kiyose. Police are on the scene now."

"What about the rest of the city?"

"I'm scanning social media traffic. Most people seem to think it's an elaborate prank, but the authorities are remaining on alert. We've intercepted communications calling for Haneda Airport to be shut down until further notice."

"You think the army will show up?" Raye asked, examining the screens.

"Not yet. They haven't seen how big of a threat Jadeite is yet," Lita told her. The taller girl's brow furrowed in thought. "What we're looking at is a lot of police, maybe a few SWAT teams, but no military right away."

"They're gonna get their butts kicked when Jadeite shows up!" Serena said worriedly.

"Only if they engage him first," Jason told her. "Jadeite won't want to waste his power on normal humans if he doesn't have to."

"Good. Wouldn't want him to get winded before we beat his ass," Raye seethed. Her knuckles cracked as her fists tightened.

The door to the computer room burst open, and Sailor Venus jogged in, her chains trailing behind her like tentacles. "Sorry I'm late. How screwed are we?"

"We're not screwed," Serena declared, trying to make her voice sound as heroic as possible. "'Cause we're the Sailor Scouts, and we're gonna teach that creep a lesson he'll never forget!"

"HOO-RAH!" Lita shouted, pumping her fist.

"Jadeite wouldn't have called us out if he didn't have a plan," Jason informed them. "Which means we need a better one. Artemis, show us the layout of Haneda Airport." The blueprints of the airport displayed on the monitors.

###

That night, no one in the Tsukino household could sleep. Kenji sat tensely in front of the TV, switching restlessly between the various live coverage of the developing situation at Haneda Airport. All flights had been grounded, the airport had been evacuated, and the local authorities were on the scene. Sammy sequestered himself in his room, aggressively reading one of his comic books in a futile attempt to convince everyone he wasn't just as worried. Ikuko drifted around the house, trying her best to comfort her family. But all she could offer was a hot beverage and words that amounted to "It's going to be alright."

Serena stared out of her window, deep in thought, absently petting Luna. Absently, she glanced at a nearby clock. It wouldn't be long now.

Despite all of Jason's training, Serena still had trouble when it came to waiting in the calm before a battle. Normally, it was the anxiety of being shot at that gave her pause, but tonight her mind was occupied by a certain Negaverse agent.

What was Jadeite's plan? Why was he calling them out and promising not to use drones? Jadeite wasn't like the villains in the comics; he adapted his strategies, constantly changing to keep up with his enemies. Jason had said that this was the reason the Negaverse had begun deploying entire squadrons of armored drones, as opposed to a single drone with minimal combat capability. What had he adapted his plan into this time? Worse, why was he demanding to fight all seven heroes at once with no backup?

A knock came from the door. "Serena, honey? Are you still awake?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine." Serena's tone was anything but.

The door swung open, and in walked Ikuko with a cup of tea that was more milk and honey than actual tea, just the way Serena liked it. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Serena thought about telling her mother that it was nothing, that she shouldn't worry about it. But something wouldn't let her say the words. Instead, she found herself turning around and accepting the tea. "Hey, mom, what do you think's gonna happen tonight?"

"Oh, I'm sure this whole thing will blow over by morning," Ikuko said reassuringly.

Serena took a sip of her tea, trying to calm herself. "Do you think the Sailor Scouts can take this guy and save everyone?"

Ikuko said nothing for a long moment, as if she was weighing something. She walked over and sat down next to her daughter on the bed. "There have been some really strange things going on around her lately," she said quietly, wrapping her arm around Serena. "Things I have no idea how to explain. I don't know if these 'Sailor Scouts' are even real, or if they're just something someone made up. But what I do know is that from what I've seen, they seem to care about us, especially the blue-and-red one."

"Sailor Moon?"

"So that's her name." Ikuko turned and looked straight at her daughter, yet Serena didn't see the slightest trace of recognition in her mother's eyes. "I have no idea what it is, but I get a good feeling from that girl. These days there just aren't that many people who go around helping other people just because it's the right thing to do, but she does. She gives people hope."

"But do you think she can help now?"

Ikuko brushed a strand of hair out of her daughter's eyes. "I don't know what's going to happen tonight. But what I do know is that if there really is something dangerous out there, then Sailor Moon will be there, and she'll do whatever it takes to keep us safe. If anyone can protect us, she can." Before she knew what she was doing, Serena wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug.

Suddenly, a thump sounded in the hallway. "Kenji, is that you?" Ikuko called, looking up. No response. "Kenji?" She stood up and walked toward the door. "Sammy?"

From out of nowhere, Lightstorm appeared, dressed head to toe in his black body armor. Ikuko opened her mouth to scream. Lightstorm was faster.

A needle plunged into the side of Ikuko's neck as Jason's hand flew up and covered her mouth. Ikuko struggled as hard as she could, but Jason's grip was too strong. Ikuko thrashings grew weaker, and within seconds the woman's body went limp.

Serena looked on in horror. They had discussed the plan earlier in the day, but seeing it was something else entirely.

"Relax," Jason told her, lifting Ikuko onto his shoulder. "She'll be unconscious for the next twelve hours. You should get ready." Jason carried Ikuko to her bed, carefully arranging her on top of the sheets so that it looked like she had passed out after a long, restless night. A minute later, he placed an unconscious Kenji on the adjacent bed, and Sammy on the bed in his room.

Serena held her TAG in her hands, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. It was time. She could feel the anxiety beginning to set in, beginning to make her want to crawl under her blankets and binge-watch Netflix until the whole thing was over.

 _No,_ she told herself firmly, squeezing the TAG. This wasn't about her. This was about the people of Tokyo, and everyone that Jadeite would hurt if she didn't do this. Gathering her willpower, she sucked in a breath and shouted "MOON PRISM POWER!"

The transformation seemed to take eternity, but in the blink of an eye Serena Tsukino ceased to exist, and in her place stood Sailor Moon.

Jason appeared in the doorway of her room. "We don't have much time. Let's go."

###

Haneda Airport was an ocean of flashing lights, babbling reporters, and squealing walkie-talkies. Every new network in Japan was on the scene, desperately trying to pretend that there was something to talk about although the situation hadn't changed. Police officers stood around sipping lukewarm coffee and talking about the game. Even from afar, Serena could see that by now, they didn't really expect anything to happen.

"Welcome to the fight," Sailor Jupiter greeted them as they walked up. The other Sailor Scouts

"Let's get this over with," Serena said, hoping her voice wasn't wavering.

"I agree." Serena turned. Tuxedo Mask strode out of the shadows, as handsome and dashing as ever. "This needs to end. Tonight." The rest of the Scouts voiced their agreement.

"Before you go," Luna interjected. "Would anyone like to say a few words?" She looked pointedly at Serena.

"She's right," Artemis agreed. "An inspiring speech before a battle never hurt anyone." The Scouts followed Luna's gaze, their eyes lingering on Serena.

"Uh… well…" Serena started, searching for something to say. Nothing came to mind. The weight of her friends' gazes pressed down on her. Sailor Mars folded her arms and frowned expectantly. Then Serena caught Tuxedo Mask's eye.

It was only for a moment. But in that moment, as she beheld the calm confidence in his eyes, and the slight smile on his lips, Serena felt all of her anxiety drain away. "Alright, guys. Jadeite thinks he's got us right where he wants us. He thinks we can't beat whatever evil plan he's got going this time. Well, let me tell you something: he's got it all wrong.

"Ever since I found out I was a Sailor Scout, Jadeite's been attacking my city and stealing energy like it was nobody's business. Every time we try to take him out, he just runs back to the Negaverse like the coward he is. But I've got news for you: that's not gonna happen tonight.

"We are the warriors of love and justice, protectors of Tokyo. This is our city, and Jadeite's not gonna take that away from us. Because whenever he knocks us down, we get back up. Whenever he attacks an innocent person, we send him back home crying. Whenever he challenges us to a duel in the middle of the night in front of the whole country, we run in screaming. AND WE KICK HIS ASS!"

"Hell, yeah!" Sailor Jupiter shouted excitedly.

"Hell, yeah!" Sailor Venus joined her.

"Bring it on," Sailor Mars said, conjuring twin fireballs with her hands.

"Now let's finish the fight." Without waiting for a reply, Serena turned and began walking.

The seven warriors made their way from the meet-up point toward the airport. On any other day, Serena might have wondered what other people might have thought, seeing them all dressed up in their Combat Modes, but tonight it was the furthest thing from her mind. Let the citizens of Tokyo see their champions.

A couple of officers looked up as they approached, their conversation instantly forgotten. For a moment, neither officer spoke as they behind the strange sight before them. "Are… are you seeing this?" One of them finally asked her partner.

"Either we're both hallucinating the same thing, or…" her partner trailed off. The warriors were almost upon them. "H-Hey! This is a restricted area!" The first cop told them. "No one's allowed in!"

"V." Sailor Moon ordered, not even breaking stride. Sailor Venus coalesced her energy chains. With one, she grabbed her fellow Sailor Scouts. With the second, she grabbed Tuxedo Mask and Lightstorm, wrapping the chain around their waists. The other four chains pressed into the ground. Mina concentrated.

Sailor Venus raised herself into the sky, carrying her friends with her in her chains. Smoothly, she began to move the chains like legs, stepping over the speechless officers on the ground. Carefully, Mina chain-walked through the mass of police officers, reporters and rescue workers, her eyes dead-set on the main runway.

Every eye turned toward the bizarre spectacle. Cameras turned to face them. Reporters began chattering into their microphones. Photographers began snapping pictures. But Sailor Moon saw or heard none of it.

In minutes they reached the main runway. Sailor Venus lowered them to the ground and dissolved her chains. Sailor Mercury brought up her visor and checked the time. Even as she watched, the clock in her visor changed from 9:59 to 10:00 PM.

Jadeite appeared on the tarmac, a cocky grin on his face. "So glad you accepted, Failure Scouts. I was afraid I'd have no one to play with."

"You're going down, Jadeite!" Sailor Moon challenged. "IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I'LL PUNISH YOU!" Her voice carried further than she expected, but there was no time to think about it.

"Face it, Nega-bastard!" Raye shouted. "You can't beat all seven of us by yourself!"

"Very cute," Jadeite sneered. "Did you rehearse that little routine before you got here?"

"Mock us all you want, Jadeite." Serena pulled off her tiara and activated the energy. "The people of Tokyo are gonna throw a party when we put you down!"

Jadeite's face twisted even further into a smile. "How will they have time for me…" An empty vial of Spectrox fell to the ground, shattering on the tarmac. "… WHEN THEY'RE SO BUSY MOURNING YOU!?" Jadeite rose into the air, his hand crackling with eldritch energies. With one hand, he cast forth a storm of green lightning.

The lightning slammed into the doors of the airport's hangars, tearing them open. Out of the hangars flew three Boeing 787s, twisting as they were called to their new master. The jets disassembled in midair, twisting and writhing madly. Parts of the massive machines flew to Jadeite, enveloping him in a tornado of metal and lightning. Before Serena's eyes, the parts began to attach, assembling themselves around Jadeite in a shiny mechanical frame. Soon the frame was covered in armor. Soon the armor was covered in weapons. Soon the construct was covered in Jadeite's barricades. The earth shook beneath Serena's feet as the monstrosity touched down.

Jadeite had disappeared inside the machine. In his place, there was only a towering mechanical beast bristling with guns and blades made from jet parts. Standing before the Sailor Scouts was a gigantic, heavily-armed, superpowered, robot.


	5. Robot Riot (Part 1)

"GET DOWN!"

Serena's bones rattled as the explosion hurled her through the air, knocking the breath out of her. Blazing heat seared her skin, burning away the outer layer almost instantly. Her training kicked in. She back-flipped in midair and threw her tiara, landing on her feet. The disk slammed into the robot's shield, bouncing off harmlessly.

"SUCK THIS!" Lita roared, jumping with all her strength. Lightning blasted out of her hands, sparks flying as the bolt collided with the robot.

The robot thundered forward, seeking to crush them with its gigantic feet, swatting Sailor Mercury into the distance with an offhanded backhand. Sailor Mars turned and rocketed away, feeling a sharp blast of air on her neck when the robot's foot smashed down. She rocket-ran further down the runway, turning in a wide circle and racing back toward the robot.

Jadeite swung the robot's head around, noticing what she was doing. He raised one of the robot's cannons and took aim.

Raye swerved to the left, dodging a concussive blast, ignoring the hot stone and tarmac that flew into her face. She dodged again. And again. Wind rushed past her as she came up on the robot. Jadeite locked on and prepared to fire.

Suddenly an impact beam flew in from the side and knocked the cannon away. The shot went wild, blasting a hangar and causing it to detonate in a dense green explosion. Raye dove in, firing jets of flame at one of the robot's joints. The attack bounced off the shield. Raye ran past, circled around, and lined up for another run.

"! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

A sonic scream erupted from Serena's throat as she threw her disc. The projectile blazed through the air with an unearthly fury. Sparks flew from the robot's shield where the disc made contact. The robot twisted around. Its foot shot forward, trying to kick Serena. The girl vaulted away just in time.

High above the battle, a news helicopter swooped in, cameras at the ready, hoping to capture live footage of the fight. Jadeite swatted Sailor Venus away like a fly and looked up at the chopper. Greedily, the robot reached up toward the sky.

Green lightning blasted from the robot's hand, engulfing the helicopter with its eldritch energies. Screams pierced the din of battle, and blood rained down on the combatants. Within seconds, the parts of the helicopter divided, attaching to the robot's body.

Jadeite hefted the robot's right arm, reving the rotor shield he had forged from the helicopter's blades. Spinning, he brought the blades down on the down, slicing off some of Raye's hair as she rocketed past.

Lightstorm vaulted over the robot's foot, weaving between Sailors Mercury and Jupiter as they hammered the robot's shields with all their might. In mid-jump, he reached down and pressed a button on his utility belt. Then he gathered himself and looked up.

Quickly, his mind calculated his next move. He pulled a boomerang from his back and armed it. As soon as he landed on his feet, he threw it as hard as he could. He sprinted toward the robot. Dropping his grip to the end of his staff, he launched himself into a spin and jumped. The boomerang flew in from the side. At the same instant, the staff and boomerang collided with the side of the robot's left knee.

A dense blue explosion rang out. The shield at the robot's joint shattered like glass, exposing the metal underneath. The robot roared, swiping at Lightstorm with its left hand. Lightstorm vaulted away. Out of the distance, Lightstorm's motorcycle raced from the shadows. As soon as it was close enough, Jason mounted it and sped away.

Tuxedo Mask dived in from above. Four razor roses shot out from his hands, slicing through the exposed metal. The robot roared again, and dropped to one knee with a thunderous crash.

"ROCK N ROOOOOOLLLLLLLLL!" Sailor Venus roared, leaping onto the back of the robot's neck. All six energy chains whipped out of her hands, wrapping around the robot's head. Mina pulled with all her strength. The robot's head wrenched back, exposing the underside of its neck. Mina snapped her head down, focusing on the back of the neck. Impact beams blasted out of her eyes, slamming into the robot.

Sailor Moon ran forward with all the speed she had, her disc in her hand. Spinning around, she hurled the disk and dropped her jaw.

The sonic scream tore through the night air, so strong its vibrations were visible. Waves of sound crashed into the robot, stunning Jadeite inside. Mars rocketed past for a follow-up attack.

Inside the robot, Jadeite shook himself back to awareness. Angrily, he gritted his teeth and seized control of the robot once more.

The robot reached back, grabbing Venus from the back of its neck. Instantly, the chains dissolved. The robot whipped its arm forward, sending the Sailor Scout flying into the sky like a toy. With its other hand, it knocked away Sailor Mars and dove for Sailor Moon.

Serena leaped straight up as hard as she could. As the ground rocketed away from her, the robot's hand crashed down where she had been standing only a moment before. Before her loomed the robot, snarling and sparking with alien power. Serena soared up in front of the robot's face, already summoning her disk. Beneath her, Lightstorm and Tuxedo Mask charged in as the robot raised its eyes to follow her. Mask threw his hands forward, firing twin razor roses straight into the robot's eyes. Lightstorm raced past on his motorcycle, throwing his shuriken as the roses found their targets.

Blue explosions erupted from the robot's eyes. Moon threw her disk as she reached the zenith of her jump.

Before the disk could hit, one of the robot's jet engines fired. The robot blasted skyward, striking Serena from below. Serena's limp body back-flipped backwards into the air. Dimly, she felt the cold wind of Jadeite's new rotor shield sweeping toward her as she fell.

"Oof!" Serena felt the wind get knocked out of her as two powerful arms wrapped around her limp body. Wind rushed past her, and an orange glow entered her recovering vision. "Raye?"

Sailor Mars gripped Serena as tight as she could as she rocket-ran away from the battle. "I can't always cover your ass, you idiot!" she yelled over the roar of battle. "Now can you still fight!?" Serena nodded. "Good, 'cause I can't stop while I'm carrying you!" Jets of flame burst out of Raye's side, turning her run to the left in a wide arc.

"RIDE THE LIGHTNING, BITCH!" Lita screamed from somewhere. Four tremendous bolts of lightning surged into the air, electricity dancing as the bolts connected with Jadeite's rotor shield. The robot thrust its left arm out to the side. A heavy metal clanking sound broke through the fight as the jet engine on the robot's forearm spun around so that the exhaust faced outward.

Concussive flames blasted from the engine, exploding on the tarmac. Lightstorm raced away from the explosion on his motorcycle, firing a grapple gauntlet into the ground to aid his sharp turn. Tires squealed as he made a right and pressed the nitro. The bike shot forward toward the towering robot. Lightstorm spotted a section of the robot's armor where its shield had been temporarily knocked down. Switching his bike to autopilot, he fired a grapple claw into the robot.

The ground fell away as Lightstorm reeled in, zeroing in on the robot with his staff clenched in his fist. Below him, he saw Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars taking potshots at Jadeite, but he ignored them. In less than a second, his boots made contact on the robot's twisting, heaving metal side.

Gripping the robot with every ounce of his strength, Lightstorm smashed his staff into a weak point in the mech's shielded metal plating. The shield cracked and gave way. Retracting his staff and clipping it to his belt, Lightstorm reached around and retrieved some plastic explosives from his back. He jammed the bombs into an exposed crevice in the robot's shell. Instantly he extended the cable of his grapple gauntlet, rappelling down to the ground as Jadeite paused to engage a full-frontal assault from Sailors' Moon and Jupiter.

Explosions blasted out of the robot's side, sending white-hot metal flying in all directions. The robot stumbled to the side, grasping as the gaping hole in its body.

"NOW! GET IT NOW!" Someone screamed. Sailor Mars rocketed toward the wounded robot, Sailor Moon hot on her heels.

Amid screams of rage and agony, the robot raised its fists and brought them down with a tremendous crash. Dirt and tarmac flew into the air as the ground shook like an earthquake. Sailor Moon flew off her feet and collapsed in a pile of dazed agony. Sailor Mars lost her footing and fell into a tumble, her momentum carrying her far across the runway.

Clutching the side of his robot, Jadeite raised his head, teeth gritted so tight they felt about to crack. A control tower caught his eye. Before the enemy could recover, he charged toward the structure, hand outstretched.

Green lightning erupted from the robot's hand, engulfing the control tower. Metal and machinery flew toward the robot in a storm of verdant fury. Within seconds, the technology bonded to the robot, seamlessly patching its side. On its left shoulder, the control tower's antennae reconfigured into a giant particle cannon. Jadeite's grimace turned into a sneer as he swung around to once again face his foes.

Far away, off to the side of the battle, stood Sailor Mercury. The blue Scout stood motionless, her breathing perfectly controlled the way Lightstorm had taught her. Her head remained still, slightly uplifted in concentration. At her sides, her arms extended into the air.

Above her head floated a gigantic iceberg.

Amy's eyelids tightened as she forced more and more of her energy into the enormous mass of ice. Fatigue tugged at her limbs, clawing at her muscles more fiercely with each passing moment. But dimly, the clamor of combat reached her ears, and still she pressed on.

 _This should work_ , she thought to herself. The streams of ice pouring from her hands cut off without warning, and the blue Scout turned her attention toward holding the iceberg in the air. Her visor deployed with a small computerized noise as it deployed, sliding over her eyes and giving her a detailed scan of the battlefield.

Mercury locked onto Jadeite's robot with her visor. Jadeite didn't seem to have noticed her, but that could change at any moment. Amy widened her stance. Her hands twisted into sharp claws of bone and nail as she gathered her strength. She waited until Jadeite's back was turned. Then she focused all of her power into one point and launched the iceberg.

Jadeite swung his rotor shield around, driving back Sailors Jupiter and Moon. Razor roses crashed into the robot's head from the right. Jadeite turned to face Tuxedo Mask. As he did, something caught his attention. The robot's visual sensors picked up movement of the side. Jadeite ignored Tuxedo Mask for a moment and turned to get a better look.

A massive iceberg flew through the air, headed straight for the robot. _That little bitch…_ Jadeite swore to himself. The jet engine on the robot's left forearm spun up in an instant. The robot's left hook swung around in a flash.

A thunderous explosion crashed through the air as the robot's rocket-punch smashed into the iceberg, shattering it into a million glistening shards. Fragments rained down on the Sailor Scouts and their allies as Jadeite returned his attention to them "NOW YOU DIE!"


	6. Robot Riot (Part 2)

Stone and asphalt flew everywhere. Sailor Moon jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the towering wall of spinning blades that drove through the spot she had been standing just a moment before. As she landed, her eye glimpsed a speck of golden hair disappeared into the whirling metal.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jadeite's scream bellowed out of the robot's speakers, engulfing the battle in an all-consuming deluge of sound. Furiously he raised the robot's foot and slammed the pavement as hard as he could.

As she leapt into the air, Serena witnessed the ground below her shake sickeningly. Sailor Mars flew off her feet in the middle of her rocket-run, her speed sending her tumbling senselessly. Jadeite lined up for a shot with his new shoulder cannon.

"NO!" Sailor Jupiter threw a ball of twisted metal with her lightning powers. The impact knocked the robot's cannon up and off to the side. A gigantic blast of green energy erupted from the weapon, causing the ground to disappear in a dense, arcing explosion a few kliks away. Jadeite spun to face her, but Sailor Mercury suddenly appeared in midair directly in front of him.

A dense blast of subzero energy struck the robot in the chest, so cold that Jadeite felt it even the depths of his monster. Crystals began to form in the robot's joints, locking the machinery in place.

Gritting his teeth, Jadeite unleashed a roar of frustration and wrenched the robot to the side. Crystals shattered in an instant. Before Mercury had time to react, Jadeite swung the robot's fist around, slamming into the girl at full power. Mercury spun through the air before crashing to the ground, unmoving.

"LIGHTSTORM! WITH ME!" Tuxedo Mask shouted heroically, surging forward. With all his strength, he threw his hands forward. 7 ruby streaks blazed through the night, crashing into Jadeite's shields near the robot's hip. The shields wavered.

Lightstorm spotted a handhold as he dodged the onslaught of metal and asphalt. Gritting his teeth, he spun his staff above his head to knock away some flying debris before firing his grapple gauntlet.

The tool tugged painfully on his arm as he reeled in, but he kept going. With his free hand he raised his staff.

The exposed area rushed toward him. Lightstorm tightened his grip on the staff. As Jadeite pivoted the robot to take a better shot at Jupiter, Lightstorm swung his staff as hard as he could.

Sparks flashed. Metal flew. A gaping hole opened in the robot. Lightstorm reached for an explosive on his belt.

Faster than he could see, the robot's hand swung around. Before he could move, the hand grazed him. Agony exploded through his body as he went flying. Before he reached the ground, he recovered just soon enough to extend his staff against the ground, maneuvering his body so that he landed in a painful roll. Jadeite went in for another attack. Lightstorm forced himself to his feet and out of the way.

Further down the runway, an orange streak raced back toward the battle, energy chains blazing furiously. Sailor Venus gritted her teeth and forced her body to go faster, ignoring the blood and dirt that now covered her uniform. Thrusting one hand forward, she shot out on of her chains and latched it onto the ground. As it locked on, she pulled herself forward in a burst of speed. When she reached the chain's anchor point, she repeated the process with her other hand. Then again. And again, each time building up more speed. The crowd of police and onlookers rushed toward her in a gust of electrically-charged wind.

"HANG ON GUYS!" Venus called. "I'M COMING!"

Thrusting her hands downward, Venus shot four thick chains from her back toward the ground. The chains propelled her skyward, causing Venus to redouble her efforts to go faster. As she flew over the crowd, she formed her last two chains and forced them down.

The chains wrapped around two police cars. Venus cried out in frustration as she felt her speed drop to almost a crawl. Her face tightening, she heaved forward, brandishing the cars as she picked up speed once more.

"! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

Sailor Moon stood her ground, screaming as loud as she could at the robot as the battle raged around her. _There's that feeling again_ , a small voice in her head whispered.

Ever since she had started training with Jason, something had felt strange in the back of her mind. It was almost nonexistent, but Serena could just barely feel something different, like a ceiling of some kind. She had asked Jason about it before.

"If my theory is right, it means your powers are stronger than we thought," Jason had told her one day after training.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena had asked.

"I think you can do more than just a sonic scream," Jason had said, joylessly tending to a cut on Serena's arm. "If that feeling is what I think it is, and if the information I've gotten from our training is right, you have the power to control sound waves."

But no matter how hard Serena trained, the mysterious ceiling remained unreachable in training. Today's battle was no exception.

The robot staggered from the impact of her scream. "MARS NOW!" a voice from above shouted. Two police cars flew overhead, spinning madly. From behind, Mars blazed forward with ardent fury. Twin beams of fire blasted from her hands, catching the cars in their gas tanks.

Explosions tore through the air near the robot's head. Sailor Venus stood atop her chains and fired her impact beams through the explosion.

"ENOUGH!" In a flash, the robot's hand shot out and wrapped itself around Venus' chains. Before Venus could dissolve the chains, Jadeite pulled her toward himself and swung her around. With an orange blur, he slammed her into Sailor Jupiter and Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon leaped up as hard as she could as Raye was knocked off her feet and Lightstorm leaped aside in a vain attempt to evade Venus' flying body. As Venus' head collided with his back, the chains dissolved, and Venus flew out of control down the runway.

"You have no business on this battlefield," Jadeite seethed as Serena landed. Serena saw that the last attack had sheared off one of the robot's arms and almost completely demolished its head. Evidently thinking she was no threat on her own, Jadeite had paused to extract some metal from a nearby hangar with his green lightning in an attempt to repair. "You're not some kind of hero. Hell, you're not even a soldier. You're just a weak, pathetic human that got her hands on a bit of power and thought she could make a difference."

Serena glanced around at her friends. "Raye…" The sight of her friend's twisted, unmoving body sent a knife of agony through Serena's heart as she held her hand to her mouth and tried to force back the tears brimming in her eyes.

"Well, I've got news for you, Failure Scouts," Jadeite continued. Green lightning buzzed around the damaged areas of the robot as his voice boomed from the giant machine. "You can take my victories. You can stop my drones, knock me down, and think you're all big damn heroes."

"Amy… Mina… Lita…" One by one, Serena's eyes swept over the battered forms of her companions. Mina lay facedown on the runway, scarlet blood seeping through the gashes in her dirty uniform. Lita's body was a tangled mass of limbs and hair, horribly bent as she remained unmoving where she had landed, causing a lump to rise in Serena's throat. Amy struggled to rise, but fell back to the ground with a sickening thud that drove the knife deeper through Serena's heart. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she beheld Tuxedo Mask sprawled helplessly on the ground. His hat had been knocked off his head, and his once-majestic cape now lay across his back in a shredded web of frayed black ribbons. Even Lightstorm rested on his knees, his left arm hanging useless by his side as he clutched it with his right. Serena's vision blurred as tears threatened to overpower her. Her hands began to tremble out of control as a small, choking cry escaped her.

"But no matter what you do, no matter how many times you humiliate me," Jadeite thundered. "I will always come back. I will bring the full fury of the Negaverse down on you and this precious planet of yours. I will take away your friends, your families, and every last thing you've ever loved!"

Serena felt her hand clench unbidden into a fist. Deep inside her, she felt something stirring.

"And no matter how far you run, or how long you fight, you can't stop me," Jadeite spat. "My power is greater than yours ever will be, and nothing you do will ever change that!"

The wave of righteous fury rose inside Serena, so absolute and pure that at first she felt it gather force as a completely separate being in her soul. For an instant before it washed over her, in her mind's eye she witnessed an unfathomable mass of incalculable rage barreling toward her. She felt her face twist into a glare. Her lips pulled back for her mouth, exposing her teeth. Slowly, she reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her fist.

"So you send your army! Come after me as hard as you can!" Jadeite bellowed. Around the robot, the green lightning faded away, revealing flawless new metal armor where there had been gaping battle scars only moments before. The robot drew itself up to its full height. "Because whatever you do, I will always win in the end!" Wiping away the last of her tears, Serena slowly turned to face Jadeite, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked as her fists shook uncontrollably. "I am Jadeite of the Negaverse!" The robot's foot rose off the ground and hovered directly over Serena's head. "AND I… AM… UNKILLABLE!" The robot's foot plunged toward Serena.

"! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

Jadeite's eyes shot open wide. The crowd of onlookers gasped and pointed. Photographers began snapping pictures madly. Reporters pointed and demanded that their cameramen capture every moment of what had just happened.

Serena stood beneath the robot's foot, a sonic blast stronger than any before pouring out of her body. Air rippled and wavered above her, holding the robot's foot at bay. But she didn't scream. Not one decibel passed her lips as the blast tore through the night. As Serena held both arms aloft, a solid wall of pure sound boomed from her hands, driving back the unstoppable monster before her.

"WHAT!?" Jadeite yelled hysterically. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"

Somewhere in Serena's head, a small voice was asking the same question. But the voice was lost in a vortex of uncontrollable cosmic wrath that screamed inside the Sailor Scout and raged out of her hands in a storm of righteous anger.

Stepping forward, Serena forced more power through her hands. The wall of sound roared and bellowed, obeying her will.

Jadeite's robot stumbled back. Serena surged forward, sound waves surrounding her body. Leaping into the air, she threw her hand forward, blasting the robot with a beam of sound. Metal and sparks exploded where the beam connected.

Furiously, Jadeite swung the robot's free arm around at Serena, blindly firing his weapons at her.

Automatically, Serena fired more sound beams from elsewhere on her body. Effortlessly, she twisted in midair, maneuvering out of the way of Jadeite's blast. Flipping backward, she landed on her feet. She blasted a sonic boom behind herself, propelling her body forward in a mad rush. Jadeite came at her again, but Serena dodged the blow and pressed the attack with another blast.

A short distance away, Sailor Jupiter stirred tiredly and groaned. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she shook her head to drive away the pounding. Then her eyes widened. "Hey guys, wake up!" she yelled, grabbing Venus and shaking her shoulder. "Moon needs are help! We've gotta go now!"

Venus' eyes shot open. Ignoring the pain, she sprang to her feet, her chains shooting out of her, ready for action. "Come on guys! Get your asses in gear!" She prodded her friends with her chains, trying to force them back to awareness.

Raye gritted her teeth and forced herself up. Amy shot two ice rods at the ground, supporting herself as she rose to her feet. Tuxedo Mask heaved himself from the ground, adjusting his mask. Lightstorm wrenched his arm back into its socket and readied his staff.

"Now let's show him what we do to evil alien bastards!" Venus shouted at her friends. "CHARGE!"

The heroes of Tokyo blazed forward.

Serena dodged a blast from Jadeite, firing back with a double sound beam. Lita jumped over her, a giant lightning bolt exploding from her hands. Jadeite raised his shield, catching the bolt.

Mina fired her chains into the center of the shield, jamming up the shield's spinning blades. "NOW!"

Jason threw a shuriken, vaporizing the surrounding area with a dense blue explosion. Mina pulled as hard as she could. With a metal shriek, the blades of Jadeite's rotor shield tore away from the robot, tumbling helplessly to the ground.

"GO FOR THE CHEST!" Serena heard herself screaming.

Sparks flashed. Metal flew. Shields fell. Friendly fire focused on the robot's chest as the metal hulk swung and twisted and fired in every direction at once, desperately trying to strike down the speeding blurs that were Tokyo's defenders.

Inside the robot's chest, Jadeite howled in hysterical fury as impact after impact battered his machine. "NO! I WON'T BE DEFEATED! NOT BY YOU!" He lashed out blindly, firing his particle cannon into the wall of an empty building a few kliks away.

At last, the shields finally dropped across the robot's body. "MARS, GO FOR THE CHEST!" Serena yelled at Mars' speeding form. "MERC, GIVER HER A BOOST!" Catching on, Mercury thrust out her hand. An ice ramp crystallized in front of the robot as the machine struggled to stay standing. "EVERYBODY ELSE, LET HIM HAVE IT!"

Serena blasted her sound waves. Lita lit up the night with a lightning bolt. Amy unleashed a torrent of ice. Mina extended her chains, wrapped them around the weakened robot's limbs, forcing it to stay still as she fired her impact beams. Darien threw an unending swarm of razor roses. Jason retrieved the boomerangs on his back, set them to maximum yield, and threw them as hard as he could, following up the attack with the last of the explosive shuriken.

Raye surged around the battlefield in a wide arc, barely keeping the runway beneath her feet as she ran further down and lined up with Amy's ice ramp. _This is it Raye,_ the girl yelled mentally. _Jadeite defiled your temple, threatened your family, and attacked the people of your city. Even if it takes every last bit of power you have, HE IS NOT LEAVING THIS RUNWAY ALIVE!_

The ground shook from the fury of Raye's flames. The world rushed by in a blur, seemingly tryn]ing to get out of the way as Sailor Mars poured every ounce of speed into her body. Before she knew what was happening, more flames exploded from her, engulfing her in a white-orange mantle of righteous rage.

The ice ramp raced toward her. Almost before she realized it, the ramp was under her feet, steam rising as it already began to melt. But the slope pulled her up off the ground in a graceful arc, sending her flyind toward the robot's chest.

Raye raised her right hand, clenching it into a fist. The last of her flames blasted from the end of her elbow, propelling her forward with even greater speed. Inside the robot, Jadeite, hair tangled, wounds bleeding, teeth broken, glanced toward the screen in front of him. In the spilt second before Sailor Mars connected, his bloodshot eyes widened.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The robot exploded as Raye crashed through the chest. Fire burst out of ever holeand crevice in the metal body. An instantly later, all the metal turned white-hot, before flying in all directions, showering the landscape in a burning rain of scrap metal. The last of the great machine fell to the Earth, one final spark of its master's power flickering through its dying circuits. Then the energy faded away into nothing, leaving behind nothing but a cooling shell of a failed plan.

For a long minute, silence descended.

Serena dropped to one knee, panting heavily. "Is it over?" She asked quietly once her breath had returned.

Tuxedo Mask glanced around. "We are alive," he declared, helping Jupiter back to her feet. "And the battle is finished. We've won."

A dull roar rumbled in the distance. "Do you guys here that?" Raye asked as she jogged up, turning to hear it better as she swept some dust from her uniform.

"It's the people of Tokyo," Mina said, her voice nearly failing from disbelief. "They're cheering for us."

Serena turned toward the sound. The mass of police and reporters that had watched the battle from afar was now racing toward them.

"Mercury," Jason said quietly, collapsing his staff. "We need to leave. Are you strong enough to cover us?"

"Yes, I think so." Mustering her strength, Amy raised her hands. Tiny ice crystals formed in the air. Instantly, the crystals melted, blanketing the area in a dense fog. The mass of people paused as the fog swept over them, stumbling into things and people and scrambling over each other as they searched madly to find their heroes. But by the time the fog finally cleared, the runway was empty, and the champions of Tokyo had disappeared into the night.


End file.
